Although Rong Zhi and Xia Yun Ting had interfered with the message delivery, they received no news in the following days, as if nothing had happened.
Rong Zhi discussed with Xia Yun Ting whether they should find some helpers from the imperial city, but Xia Yun Ting refused, stating it would alert the enemy.
It wasn't that Xia Yun Ting was overly cautious; the capable subordinates he had sent previously, both brave and intelligent, had still met their end at the hands of the Bloodthirsty Pavilion. Therefore, the more people they involved, the more suspicion they would raise.
"Alright, it seems we can only fight them in the shadows."
If they were to confront them head-on, even if they could win, the losses would be heavy, perhaps resulting in broken limbs.
As she spoke, she glanced at Xia Yun Ting, "Have you remembered?"
"Remembered what?"
"Your previous memories, have you recovered your memory?"
Although she asked, Rong Zhi already knew he was faking it, and Xia Yun Ting guessed that Rong Zhi knew he was faking it.
He shook his head innocently, "No."
Rong Zhi pouted, accustomed to his casual lies. She yawned, turned to face the wall, and closed her eyes.
"Let's sleep. Tomorrow we'll go find Chu Qing Ze and see how the Zhang family is doing."
"Okay." The person behind her readily agreed, and a large hand reached over.
The familiar and natural manner of it made Rong Zhi's mouth twitch.
"Xia Yun Ting, take your paws off..."
Before she could finish speaking, snores came from behind her.
"..."
The next day, the two set off for the mass grave. They intended to ask Chu Qing Ze to lead them to the Zhang residence to gather information, but they missed him. Chu Qing Ze was not at home, so they decided to go to the Zhang residence first, but did not enter.
Outside, two young gatekeepers stood with their hands clasped, yawning and complaining.
"Last night I only slept for an hour, and now I feel like I'm floating. I still have to stand guard. What kind of life is this?"
"Be content. You slept for an hour. I didn't even sleep for half an hour. The steward has fits of illness every so often, hitting and cursing anyone he sees. Look at me."
He said this and lifted his sleeve, revealing several blue and purple marks on his arm.
"What's that? Look at mine."
The other also rolled up his sleeve. Although there were no bruises, there was a long scar, with the flesh turned outward, looking terrifying.
The two unfortunate companions sighed in unison.
"We've had rotten luck to have a steward like this."
"Why hasn't Dr. Chu arrived today? He should be here to see our steward."
"Hurry up and have him take the steward to the mass grave, and never let him return..."
After listening, Rong Zhi turned around and said, "It seems Chu Qing Ze hasn't been here. Since the steward is deranged, the hall master who wanted money probably didn't get it."
Xia Yun Ting pondered for a moment and replied, "With so many people in the Bloodthirsty Pavilion, money is also a significant issue. Their control over the Zhang mansion might be for money. If we cut off this source, we can also sow chaos among them."
"Then we'll have to start with Master Zhang, and we still need to find Chu Qing Ze... Ah, there he is!"
Rong Zhi pointed to a nearby street. Chu Qing Ze was walking towards them from a distance, his head slightly bowed as if in thought.
"Chu Qing..."
Rong Zhi waved her hand. Before the word "Ze" could be uttered, several constables suddenly appeared and, without explanation, bound Chu Qing Ze.
Chu Qing Ze was clearly caught off guard. He argued with them in surprise, then a young woman appeared. Chu Qing Ze's eyes widened, his expression changing from surprise to helplessness. Finally, he left with the constables.
"What's going on?"
Both Rong Zhi and Xia Yun Ting were somewhat surprised.
"Let's follow and see."
The two followed the constables. They wanted to stop them and ask questions, but as they walked, more and more people gathered. It seemed the entire Changping County was shocked and angry that the renowned Dr. Chu had been arrested, and everyone was excitedly watching the spectacle.
Because of the large crowd, Rong Zhi and Xia Yun Ting lost track and arrived at the yamen gate in the blink of an eye.
Zhang Chu, dressed in official robes, began the court session. He struck the gavel.
"Who is before the court, and what is the accusation?"
The young woman knelt to the side and said, head bowed, "This humble woman, Yao Cui Zhi, accuses the divine doctor Chu of molesting a virtuous woman."
The hall erupted in an uproar, including Rong Zhi and Xia Yun Ting, although their focus was clearly different from others.
"Chu Qing Ze is cured?" Rong Zhi stood on tiptoe and asked Xia Yun Ting in his ear. The latter shook his head, not knowing either.
"How dare you, in broad daylight, dare to molest a virtuous woman! Take him down and give him 20 strokes!"
Zhang Chu slammed the table. Before Chu Qing Ze could speak, he was condemned to a bruised backside.
Chu Qing Ze's mouth twitched, and he frowned unhappily, "Your Honor, judging cases requires evidence. You have no evidence, and based solely on this young woman's word, you intend to strike me. Is this reasonable?"
"I am the county magistrate. If I say it's reasonable, it's reasonable. Take him down!"
Two constables came forward to drag Chu Qing Ze away, but then heard a rustling from below the hall. The two constables hesitated.
Chu Qing Ze was the divine doctor of the entire Changping County, having treated so many people. The county magistrate dared to wrongly accuse him so openly. If he dared to strike him, the people might rush forward.
The two constables looked at Zhang Chu with difficulty. Zhang Chu seemed to realize the gravity of the situation.
"Step back for now!"
The constables had no choice but to return to their original positions.
"Then tell me, when and where did Divine Doctor Chu molest the virtuous woman, whom did he molest, and how? Explain it all."
Yao Cui Zhi kowtowed again, "Replying to Your Honor, three days ago, as I was walking on the road, Chu Qing Ze suddenly touched me."
"Three days ago? Chu Qing Ze, did you see her three days ago?"
Chu Qing Ze glanced at her casually, his eyelids drooping, and replied, "No."
"You!" Yao Cui Zhi was flustered. "Divine Doctor Chu, you touched me and looked at me, and now you're denying it. Men are truly all the same."
Saying this, she began to cry.
There was a stir in the crowd, with several people whispering to each other, seeming to ponder the possibility of this matter.
"Chu Qing Ze, you still say no?"
Zhang Chu's confidence grew. He never liked this brat, but he couldn't find an opportunity to deal with him. Now he had caught him by the ear.
Chu Qing Ze had to look at the person beside him again, then suddenly feigned surprise.
"Oh, I remember."
All eyes fell upon him.
"I have indeed met this young lady, but I did not molest her."
"It's good that you admit it." Zhang Chu automatically ignored Chu Qing Ze's last sentence.
"Since you admit it, go and take your punishment!"
This time, the crowd did not react as strongly. It was clear they were starting to doubt.
"Your Honor, why are you judging this case as if it's a game? I already said, I did not molest this young lady."
"Nonsense, do bad people write 'bad person' on their foreheads? If you did nothing, would this young lady accuse you for no reason? Take him away!"
He winked at the constables on either side and said to the people outside the hall who were discussing, "Stop chattering. Are you the magistrate or am I? Do you dare to doubt my orders?"
With this display of authority, no one dared to speak. The two constables dragged Chu Qing Ze away. Rong Zhi heard someone nearby whisper.
"I think I saw Divine Doctor Chu molest this young lady yesterday."
"I didn't expect Divine Doctor Chu to be this kind of person. To know someone's face but not their heart."
"Divine Doctor Chu is not like that!"
Suddenly, a female voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention.
Zhang Ya Jing emerged from the crowd, frowning as she looked at Chu Qing Ze, who was being held down, and then at Zhang Chu on the dais.
"Father."
"Daughter, why are you here?"
Zhang Chu immediately changed his expression, a mixture of surprise, appeasement, and guilt. "Your body hasn't recovered yet. Why have you come out? Go back to your room and rest quickly."
"Father, I'm not going back. Tell me, what's going on?"
Zhang Ya Jing pointed at the people on the dais, already convinced that this was her father's doing.
Zhang Chu cleared his throat and said to the constables, "The court is adjourned for now. Lock up Chu Qing Ze."
"Yes."
The constables escorted him away, and at the same time, began to disperse the onlookers. Rong Zhi and Xia Yun Ting naturally could not see what was happening inside.
Rong Zhi was bewildered, "What's going on? Is Zhang Chu deliberately setting a trap to send Chu Qing Ze to prison? Or is there some other misunderstanding?"
Xia Yun Ting was also unclear, "Without him, the Zhang mansion matters will not be easy to handle. We should find a way to get him out."
"Let's wait and see if Zhang Ya Jing can rescue Chu Qing Ze."
The two did not leave and waited outside the yamen for a while. Before long, Chu Qing Ze and Zhang Ya Jing came out one after the other. Chu Qing Ze's expression was not good, while Zhang Ya Jing looked apologetic.
"Divine Doctor Chu, please don't be too angry. I apologize on behalf of my father."
As she spoke, she took a few steps to catch up to Chu Qing Ze. Chu Qing Ze suddenly turned around, cupped his fists at her, and used this movement to create distance between them.
"Miss, thank you for helping me out of a difficult situation. This matter is also my fault, so you don't need to feel apologetic. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. Cui Xi, quickly take your young lady back."
Chu Qing Ze called out to a spot behind him.
"Huh? Cui Xi is here?" Zhang Ya Jing turned her head, but saw no sign of Cui Xi. By the time she realized what was happening, Chu Qing Ze had already disappeared.
"Ah! I've been ditched again!" She stomped her foot in annoyance.
Rong Zhi, observing from not far away, saw Chu Qing Ze give her a look before leaving.
"Let's go."
She pulled Xia Yun Ting along and followed.
Chu Qing Ze, fearing Zhang Ya Jing would chase after him, walked quickly, leading them to an alley not far from the Zhang residence. Finding no one following behind, he leaned against the wall and let out a sigh of relief.
"What, a wolf chasing you?"
Rong Zhi teased Chu Qing Ze as soon as she approached.
Chu Qing Ze nodded, "One male, one female."
"Be careful, or I'll rip your mouth apart." Rong Zhi gave him a warning look.
"What happened just now?"
"It's all because of you." Chu Qing Ze caught his breath and looked at Rong Zhi with a blaming gaze.
"What does it have to do with me?"
"If you hadn't asked me to treat some illness, I wouldn't have gone crazy and hit on a girl on the street."
Rong Zhi's mind raced, and she formed a guess.
"You wouldn't have touched the girl to test her illness, would you?"
"Watch your wording. What do you mean 'touch'? I just patted her shoulder and was about to ask for directions, but I didn't expect..."
"Didn't expect what?"
"Unexpectedly encountered a lovesick fool."
Chu Qing Ze remembered the bright light in the girl's eyes when she turned around, which almost blinded him. When he realized something was wrong and wanted to run, it was too late. The girl grabbed him and confessed her love, saying she had liked him for a long time. When he refused, the girl acted shamelessly, telling the people around him that he had molested her.
In broad daylight, a man and a woman pulling at each other, people would naturally believe the man was taking advantage of the woman. Although he eventually escaped, he anticipated trouble and it indeed happened today.
"So it was a love debt." Rong Zhi couldn't help but chuckle. "Being good-looking is also a kind of trouble." She glanced at Xia Yun Ting and then said to Chu Qing Ze, "Why don't you disfigure yourself?"